


all i can offer is my love

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Flashbacks, Forbidden Love, Heartbreak, Little bit of Fluff, M/M, Markhyuck Endgame, Personal Assistant Mark, Rich Corporation Heir Donghyuck, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 04:09:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20352145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Maybe you do love me. But we both know that you are never going to choose me. So just please, please let me go"~~Mark is in love with Donghyuck and Donghyuck is in love with him. But Donghyuck is still marrying someone else. And Mark isn't going to stay and watch it happen. He's leaving.





	all i can offer is my love

Everything looks pretty. The tables are lined precisely, decorated with tablecloths and huge flower centerpieces made of white and pink roses and some sparkling ribbon and pearls. There’s an impressive old fireplace, it’s light and the flame is casting a warm illumination to the big ballroom, alongside the dimmed fairy lights near the roof. It makes the atmosphere cozy and relaxed, easy for conversation.

The buffet line on one side of the room is filled with foods that look almost too fancy and complex to be touched, let alone eaten. The mahogany flooring has to have been polished just recently, it’s pretty much shining and there’s not a single dent in it. And the enormous chandelier hanging from the roof probably costs alone more than Mark’s car and apartment combined.

The people are wearing simple, yet scarily elegant clothes. There’s not even one person with an untasteful outfit; a clear sign of having money and knowing how to look when you do. The hairstyles are perfect and every single makeup on people’s faces is spot on. There’s not a doubt that also some of the men are wearing makeup.

Everything looks so pretty, and it leaves a bitter taste in Mark’s mouth.

It’s not even the wedding yet, it’s just the engagement party. Mark can only wonder how gorgeous the actual wedding is going to be.

The ballroom is full of people. People from different lines of business, old people, young people, beautiful people, people he probably should be keeping an eye on... But Mark can only see one person.

Donghyuck is standing on the other side of the room, near the fireplace. He’s talking to some important looking older couple. Donghyuck’s light-brown hair is styled up from his forehead and the suit he’s wearing is specifically made for him from scratch. It hugs his lean body perfectly and the dark-blue color fits his tanned skin very well.

Mark shouldn’t be looking at him, not anymore, but he can’t help it. Donghyuck must sense his gaze, because the younger suddenly turns around a bit and loses the focus on his conversation. Donghyuck meets Mark’s gaze across the room, past all those people who look important but aren’t that in the end, not really.

Mark looks at Donghyuck’s beautiful brown eyes and is suddenly reminded of the first time he saw them when meeting the younger little over three years ago.

  
_Mark is standing next to Mr. Lee’s desk, not really knowing how to act normal yet. It’s his first day on the job. He’s trying his best to take notes of the things his boss is firing at him with a speed of a bullet, when there’s a knock on the door._

_“Come in!” Mr. Lee exclaims with a tone that’s more of a demand than an invitation._

_The door opens and a young man with bright orange hair steps into the room. The expression on his face is a little questioning as he looks at Mr. Lee. Then he takes notice of Mark standing next to the wide office desk. He lifts his gaze at Mark, and Mark is met with sparkling, brown eyes that are adorned by long, dark eyelashes. Mark can almost feel his own pupils dilating._

_“What on earth have you done to your hair?” Mr. Lee huffs angrily, breaking the moment of eye-contact of the two young men. Just as the orange-haired male is about to open his mouth to answer, Mr. Lee raises his hand to signal him to stop, “Whatever, I don't have time for it. Donghyuck, this is Mark, my new personal assistant. Mark, this is Donghyuck, my son who will soon become my partner in the firm and later the owner of it when I retire”, he introduces the two to each other._

_“Donghyuck, I want you to show Mark around, get him to know the building and at least some of our other offices around the city, and tell him how we run things in here and what there is to expect from this job. When you think he can manage those, bring him back and he can get on with his actual job description” Mr. Lee continues. Again, it's not a request, it's a demand._

_Donghyuck nods to him and lifts his gaze at Mark again. A bright smile raises to his face as he looks at the new personal assistant of his father. Mark would be lying if he said the sight didn't flip his stomach around._

_“I'm happy to", Donghyuck then says, directing his words to Mark instead of Mr. Lee._

_Mark can't help it when his lips curl into a shy smile._

  
Now looking at Donghyuck’s eyes just breaks Mark’s heart over and over again. Luckily the person standing next to Donghyuck snaps the younger’s attention back to the conversation they were having with the couple. Mark turns his gaze to look at her instead.

Her, as in Kim Yerim, as in Donghyuck’s fiancée.

She’s beautiful. Her frame is petite and height just about perfect next to Donghyuck. She has a diamond decorated silver hairband on her head, and her long blonde hair is done to soft waves that go all the way down to her lower back. She’s wearing a champagne-colored sheath dress that goes nicely together with Donghyuck’s dark blue suit.

She has round, warm brown eyes and soft facial features. All in all, she looks very kind, calm and friendly. Mark is sure she also is all those things. She’s clearly been taught the proper etiquette. Her movements are delicate, and she carries herself with dignity.

Donghyuck and Yerim met each other for the first time only a week ago and now they are already engaged and soon to be married. Mark will never understand it. How with some rich people everything comes down to money, property and power. Even personal relationships.

By Donghyuck marrying Yerim their families are going to merge their multi-billion-dollar companies together to create a monopoly or something. Mark isn’t sure what it is, he stopped giving a fuck couple weeks ago when he handed his notice to Mr. Lee. All he knows is that the love of his life is marrying someone else.

Mark has to turn his eyes away from the couple. It hurts. It hurts so much. He would give anything to be in Yerim’s place next to Donghyuck.

But he isn’t. And he never will be.

Mark walks past the people in the ballroom. If someone notices the pained expression on his face, they give no hints about it. Mark walks through the doors and steps into the hallway. It’s not like his boss needs him to oversee anymore that everything is going well. Everything is clearly going great. Last he saw Mr. Lee, the man was enthusiastically discussing of some new business strategies with some other old man. It’s always about the business.

Mark sits down on one of the benches in the hallway of the hotel. He rests his head against the wall and closes his eyes for a moment. He should have known from the very beginning that this is how it ends. And he did know. He just didn’t want to admit it. Secret relationships never work out. They always just end to a heartbreak, in a way or another.

  
_Mark is sitting in the cafeteria where the employees of the company usually eat their lunches. He’s nibbling on a sandwich and there’s a banana on the table in front of him, waiting to be eaten. Mark can see Donghyuck sitting couple tables away, slowly eating his own lunch. Donghyuck’s not an employee per se but he sometimes eats his lunch in the cafeteria nonetheless. Mark would love to move to go sit next to him but there’s not a proper reason for that. So he stays put and settles for stealing glances of the younger._

_Suddenly Mark can feel his phone vibrating in his pocket. He fishes it out and opens the screen. There’s a new text message._

_From: Donghyuck_  
_Go out with me tonight?_

_Mark’s eyes go wide and he raises his face from his phone to look at Donghyuck. The younger is smiling at him, an expectant glimmer in his eyes. Mark nods._

_To: Donghyuck_  
_Where and what time?_

_From: Donghyuck_  
_I’ll pick you up at your place at 10pm_

_To: Donghyuck_  
_You know where I live?_

_From: Donghyuck_  
_Of course I do_

_Mark shoots Donghyuck a surprised look. The younger answers with an all too innocent smile and a quick wink. Mark shakes his head a little in amusement._

_To: Donghyuck_  
_It’s a date then_

_From: Donghyuck_  
_Can’t wait!! <3_

_Mark can feel how a blush is creeping up his cheeks. He steals another glance of Donghyuck who’s now standing up from his seat to leave the cafeteria and to go continue his work. The younger throws his trash to the bin and then starts walking towards the exit. And consequently, towards Mark too._

_Donghyuck slows down his pace a bit when he reaches Mark. Mark is sitting at the end of the table so Donghyuck walks right past him. The younger brushes the tips of his fingers against Mark’s shoulder. So quickly that it could be seen as an accident. But it’s anything but an accident and the two of them know that._

_Slight shivers run through Mark’s body._

  
It doesn’t feel like Mark had been sitting there for a long time, but he must have since the next thing he knows, the guests of the engagement party start to file out of the ballroom. Mark stands up quickly and tries to look somewhat presentable. He gives polite smiles and nods to the people he has encountered over the years when working as the personal assistant of Mr. Lee.

When Mark thinks everyone has finally left, he checks the ballroom to confirm it and also to see if Mr. Lee has left as well. He has, as well as the celebrated couple and all the guests. The only people in the ballroom are the hotel workers who start to clean up the aftermath of the party.

Mark exits the hotel and walks up to his company car. He still has to go visit the office once more before he leaves for good. It’s not a long drive luckily. Mark blasts some music from the radio in order to drown his thoughts and the suffocating feeling in his chest.

Mark parks the car and jogs up to the front door. He steps inside the office building and the fluorescent lights in the hallway are a shocking change from the night-time darkness outside. Mark takes the elevator to the ninth floor where his own and his boss’ offices are.

Mark goes to his soon-to-be-former office to check it once more that everything is in order for the next employee to take it over. Then he leaves all the keys on the table, shuts the lights off and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him.

  
_“Donghyuck, your father could walk in on us literally at any moment”, Mark says with a hushed voice to the younger who has his arms wrapped behind Mark’s neck. They’re at Mr. Lee’s office. Mark had been doing his work at the desk he has on his boss’ room, when Donghyuck walked in._

_Now Mark’s leaning against the desk and Donghyuck is leaning against him, leaving light kisses to his cheeks and the side of his neck._

_“Don’t worry, he’s way too busy screaming at that poor employee who dared to make a mistake to be coming here now. So relax”, Donghyuck whispers smiling and nibbles Mark’s earlobe lightly with his teeth. Mark shudders in pleasure and it sheds some of the anxiety away._

_Donghyuck must sense Mark giving in, because he moves to capture Mark’s lips to a kiss. It’s a slow, deep kiss. Despite the circumstances, they kiss like they had all the time in the world. Mark’s hold of Donghyuck’s hips becomes stronger and he pulls the younger even closer to him._

_Mark can feel Donghyuck’s body against him, he can smell the fruity scent of his shampoo and taste the intoxicating sweetness from his lips. It’s Donghyuck everywhere and Mark wouldn’t want it any other way._

_“You’re going to be the end of me”, Mark whispers in a daze when they break the kiss._

_“Right back at you”, Donghyuck says and kisses Mark again before the older has even had the time to catch his breath._

  
Mark only has one thing left to do and then he can finally leave for good. He walks up to the door of Mr. Lee’s office and knocks. He knows the man will be there; he wouldn’t just go home, not even after the engagement party of his son. When Mark hears the all too familiar demanding voice telling him to come in, he opens the door and steps into the room.

Mark’s breath catches in his throat as his eyes land on Donghyuck who’s sitting on one of the chairs in the office. Donghyuck wasn’t supposed to be there. He was supposed to be somewhere with his fiancée and Mark was supposed to just meet Mr. Lee and only Mr. Lee for the last time. Mark stares at Donghyuck for what has to be too long of a time, because Mr. Lee suddenly clears his throat, urging Mark to go on with whatever he came for.

Mark almost jumps in his skin and then he stumbles closer to his boss’ desk. He now avoids looking at Donghyuck who’s definitely looking at him.

“Sir, I have now arranged all the paperwork to be on track for your new personal assistant. I brought the company car back and left all the keys to my office”, Mark tells and Mr. Lee nods along, “Thank you for these years, Sir, I have learned a lot and will have excellent qualifications for my next job”

“You have been a good personal assistant Mark. I’m sad to see you go, but I wish you all the best for your future”, Mr. Lee says and reaches to give Mark a handshake, in which the younger responds to. In reality, they all know that Mr. Lee doesn’t have any interest in Mark and that Mark doesn’t think very highly of Mr. Lee. But those are the things you don’t address. Instead you do this meaningless exchange of politeness.

Mark can feel Donghyuck’s eyes burning at his skin, as the younger watches the interaction going on. Mark bids polite goodbyes to Mr. Lee and then he nods quickly to Donghyuck as well, just to not seem suspicious. Then he can finally leave the room.

After Mark has closed the door of the office behind him, he sprints towards the elevator. He waits impatiently, skipping from foot to another while waiting for it to reach his floor. When it arrives, he steps in and quickly presses the button of the first floor. The elevator starts to go down painfully slowly.

The cold night-air feels comforting as it hits against Mark’s face when he steps out of the building that he can now call his ex-workplace. Before starting to walk away, Mark turns to look at the building for the last time. It holds a lot of memories. He has experienced the best and the worst things of his life while working for that company.

  
_Mark wakes up as the bright morning sunlight seeps through the thin curtain in front of his bedroom window. He blinks a few times to get the sleep out of his eyes. Then he turns to his side a bit and takes in the sight of Donghyuck sleeping next to him._

_The younger is sleeping on his side, his back turned to Mark. The white duvet is pulled up to his ribs to cover the undressed body. But it leaves his upper back without a cover and Mark traces his eyes over the few moles on there._

_Mark can’t stop himself, so he leans closer and presses his lips on the warm skin behind Donghyuck’s shoulder, leaving a light kiss there. The younger must wake up to the sensation because he soon shifts a bit and then turns slowly towards Mark. His eyes are still drowsy from the sleep, but there’s still the ever-present twinkle in there and he has a small smile on his lips._

_“Hey”, Donghyuck whispers._

_“Good morning”, Mark whispers back and gives a peck on Donghyuck’s lips, “Did you sleep well?”_

_Donghyuck hums and then lets out a small yawn while stretching his arms a bit. Mark watches his every little move with fascination and adoration. Donghyuck answers with a slightly confused, yet very intent gaze. For a moment they just stare at each other._

_“Why are you looking at me like that?” Donghyuck eventually breaks the silence._

_“I think I’m in love with you”, Mark confesses when a sudden surge of confidence runs through his veins._

_Donghyuck’s eyes go wide and a pink hue appears on his cheeks, “Really?”, the younger whispers._

_“Really”, Mark confirms. His heart is beating like crazy in his chest as he waits for Donghyuck to respond to his confession somehow._

_“I’m in love with you too. Have been for a while now”, Donghyuck says then, almost shyly, as a bright smile starts to bloom on his face. A bunch of butterflies erupt into flying in Mark’s stomach._

_Mark leans to kiss Donghyuck again, feeling more content than ever before in his life._

  
“Mark!” someone shouts just as Mark is crossing the street to start heading home. Except that it’s definitely not just someone. Mark would recognize that voice immediately anywhere, anytime. Mark closes his eyes for a second and wonders if Donghyuck would just disappear if he hoped hard enough. Then they wouldn’t have to have this conversation.

“Mark, what the hell!” Donghyuck exclaims angrily as he runs to catch the older, “Were you seriously just going to leave without saying anything to me? If I hadn’t been in the office just now... You decided you’re just going to disappear, huh?”

Mark takes some deep breaths, trying to stop the anger and bitterness, that have been growing in the pit of his stomach for a long time now, from coming out. But he fails miserably.

“Seriously Donghyuck?” he shouts, “Are you seriously yelling at me for this? You’re the one who’s been avoiding me for weeks! You didn’t even tell me you were going to get engaged! I had to hear it from your fucking father when he told me to book the hotel for your engagement party! For fuck’s sake Donghyuck, I have been planning your engagement party and attending to it! How seriously fucked up is that?”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry!” Donghyuck sounds panicked now, “I panicked when I heard about the engagement! I tried to come up with anything to stop it from happening! But I couldn’t and then everything just spiraled out of control and the next thing I know I’m getting engaged and it’s just...” the younger tries to explain himself.

“You know, a great start would be just saying no to your father. But you have never done that, and you never will. So now you’re getting married”, Mark says with a venomous tone, “And frankly, I’m not sticking around to watch it happen. I’m leaving. Goodbye Donghyuck”, he then finishes and starts to turn around to walk away.

“Mark wait! Please don’t go! We can make this work somehow. We can still be together, just please don’t-”

“_Are you fucking kidding me?_” Mark screams at Donghyuck.

“Donghyuck you’re getting _married_! You will have a _wife_! And you may not love her, but she at least deserves your respect and that you’re _there for her_! Not somewhere fucking your side-whore!”

“You’re not some side-whore to me!” Donghyuck shouts, voice dripping with desperation. He leaps to take a strong grip of Mark’s wrist, “Mark, I love you”

Mark lets out a shaky breath. The anger in him subsides and gets replaced with just plain hurt and an absolute tiredness towards all of this.

“Maybe you do love me. But we both know that you are never going to choose me. So just please, _please_ let me go”

Donghyuck looks at Mark for a long time and then he eventually lets go of the older’s wrist, “Okay”, he says quietly and takes a step back. Silent tears are now falling from the younger’s eyes, running down on his cheeks, “Okay”, he repeats almost inaudibly.

“Thank you”, Mark whispers just as quietly. Then he finally turns around and walks away.

Mark does his best to stay strong during the walk home. He concentrates on the cold wind that's hitting against his face and getting through his clothes that are too thin for the weather. When he reaches his apartment building, he fumbles with the key both at the front door of the building and at the door of his apartment. When Mark finally gets the door to his apartment open, he steps in and closes it behind him. When the door clicks shut behind him, he finally breaks down completely.

Mark slides against the door to the floor, as he feels that his legs won’t carry anymore. Tears burst out of his eyes, falling as an endless stream down his cheeks. His whole body is shaking and the sounds of his sobs fill the room. Mark's heart is in thousands of pieces.

  
_“What are we even doing?” Mark sighs tiredly._

_“What do you mean?” Donghyuck asks._

_“This-", Mark waves his hand around, motioning towards himself and Donghyuck and the room they're currently in. They're sitting on the floor in one of the supply closets in their office building, “This is ridiculous. Our relationship is based on sneaking around in the office and meeting at night times. This isn't a way to live. This is just tiring"_

_Mark loves Donghyuck like crazy and would never want anyone else. But that doesn't mean their way of living isn't constantly hurting him. There are better days and worse days. This seems to be one of those worse days._

_“I know and I'm so sorry”, Donghyuck whispers, pain evident in his voice, “I want to fix it, but I just can't, not right now. You know how my parents and my life are like”_

_“Do I though?” Mark muses quietly. It's more of a thought to himself than a question for Donghyuck. Mark is pretty sure he will never truly understand the life Donghyuck's leading._

_“Just wait for a little while longer, okay? Soon I can tell my father about our relationship and we can stop the secrecy and just have a normal happy life together", Donghyuck says and takes Mark's hand in his, intertwining their fingers._

_Mark really wants to believe in it. He turns his gaze to look at Donghyuck's eyes. They look completely sincere._

_“You promise?” Mark asks._

_“I promise", Donghyuck says and raises their hands so that he can leave a light kiss on the back of Mark's hand. Then he gives the older an encouraging smile. Mark's lips curl to a small smile as well. He trusts Donghyuck._

  
Now Mark knows that all of those promises over the years were for nothing.

When he gets the sobs to finally cease, he slowly peels himself off the floor. He walks further to his apartment that’s now filled with moving boxes. Mark decided that he will need a fresh start after all of this, if he ever wants to get over Donghyuck. So he’s moving away.

Mark’s friend Jaemin, who lives a few states to the south, has helped Mark to get a new apartment and a new job there in the city where he lives. Jaemin will also come help Mark with the moving tomorrow, and then they’ll travel together to Mark’s new place of residence.

Mark walks to the bathroom. He watches himself from the mirror, under the fluorescent light. His face and especially eyes are red and swollen due to the crying. He just looks tired and miserable. Mark wonders how he let himself and his life get to this point. He should have known better.

After Mark has used the bathroom, washed his face and brushed his teeth, he goes to his bedroom. It’s completely empty save for the big bed that can fit two people in it. Mark automatically lays down on the right side of it; Donghyuck always slept on the left side when he spent the night.

Mark pulls the duvet over his body and then a new set of tears spill from his eyes, soon wetting his pillow. This time the crying is just completely silent. Mark presses his eyes close and tries to almost force the sleep to come. It takes some time but eventually his breathing evens out and he falls asleep.

\-----------

“Wow, you look like shit”, is the first thing that comes out of Jaemin’s mouth when Mark opens the door for him.

“Good to see you too, Jaemin”, Mark says with a flat tone and moves to the side so that Jaemin can enter the apartment.

“No, but in all seriousness, are you okay?” Jaemin asks then, worry coloring his voice.

“I’m fine”, Mark says and walks to grab one of the boxes, “Let’s just get on with this”

Jaemin looks anything but convinced but he nods. The moving truck is already parked outside the apartment building, now the boys just have to carry the boxes and furniture down and load them to it. The truck driver will then drive Mark’s stuff to the new city and Mark and Jaemin will follow by Mark’s car.

Mark tries to work hard and not to let the tiredness and gloominess show, but he isn’t able to fool Jaemin.

“Mark?” Jaemin asks carefully at some point of the day. Mark hums.

“Are you sure this is the right thing to do after all? I mean, I get the whole wanting a new start and all, but it seems more like you’re just running away. I can see you’re completely wrecked by this, so maybe you should see Donghyuck and sort at least some things out with him before you go. So that there wouldn’t be so much pain and hard feelings left, and you could eventually let go easier...”

Deep down Mark knows that Jaemin has a point. But he doesn’t want to hear any of this right now. Mark opts to just ignore the things Jaemin said to him and continues to drag his things down the stairs. Jaemin sighs deeply.

When they’ve finally cleared the apartment, Mark checks the new address with the truck driver once more and then the guy is off with Mark’s stuff. Mark walks to his empty apartment once more, checking that they haven’t accidentally left anything there and then he leaves the keys to the kitchen counter. He closes the front door behind him and then leaves the apartment building as well.

When Jaemin sees Mark stepping out of the building, the younger hops into Mark’s car, to the seat next to the driver. Mark is the one who’s going to drive, it’s his car after all.

Mark opens the car door and sits down on the driver's seat. He takes a deep breath and then says to Jaemin, 

“Jaemin, I’m really sorry for being so rude and distant to you today. It’s just... Well, you know what it is. Just know that I really appreciate everything you have done for me, getting me a new apartment and a new job and even helping me with this moving. I owe you a whole lot”

“You’re welcome. Now, just try to remember that gratitude you have towards me in a moment, okay?” Jaemin says and opens the car door again.

“What are you-”, Mark doesn’t get to finish the sentence before the younger is out of the car and already slamming the door shut. There's a few heartbeats of confused silence, before the door is opened again. It’s just not Jaemin who enters the car this time.

Mark turns his gaze to stare at the road ahead of him. He doesn’t want to see Donghyuck. The younger sits down on the seat next to Mark. They’re quiet for a long time, until Donghyuck is finally able to collect enough courage to start talking.

“You were wrong”, he says to Mark, “About us both knowing that I’m never going to choose you”

“Mark, I know I have hurt you and broken your heart multiple times over the years and I don’t even know where to start apologizing and making it up to you. I have been the biggest coward in the universe for not standing up against my father and instead making you hide our relationship and letting his opinions dictate our way of living.

Mark, I have taken you for granted for a long time now. I have no idea what was going on in my mind when I went through with the engagement and thought you’d still be sticking around. That was seriously disgusting and I’m so sorry.

I just need you to know that I love you more than anything else in this world and that I never meant to hurt you. And I know it doesn’t seem like it, but in my mind, I have always chosen you.

And I know that I'm three years too late, but I finally stood up against my father. I told him that I'm not going to marry Yerim”, Donghyuck takes a deep breath, “Because I want to marry someone else”

A suffocating silence falls upon them after Donghyuck’s last phrase. Mark has been staring at the road ahead of him the whole time, not wanting to look at the younger. He still doesn’t turn his gaze to Donghyuck, but he finally opens his mouth, 

“Get out”, he says to Donghyuck.

“Wha-”, Donghyuck starts but is cut off by Mark.

“_Get. Out_.”

Mark can see from his peripheral vision how there’s an expression of shock and desperation on Donghyuck’s face. The younger sits there for a minute, but when he realizes that Mark is dead serious, he slowly reaches for the door handle and opens the door. He gets out of the car and shuts the door behind him. But Donghyuck doesn’t leave, he just takes a few steps away from the car and stays there, standing on the sidewalk.

Mark turns the key and starts the car. But he isn’t able to press the gas pedal and drive away. Mark’s mind is yelling at him to drive away and finally leave, but his heart is desperately screaming for Donghyuck. Mark clutches the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turn white. His mind is going absolute haywire.

Mark isn’t sure if he should be even considering giving Donghyuck another change. Like said, the younger has hurt him over the years. And he was going to marry someone else without even telling Mark properly, crushing the older’s heart completely. And now he just marched here, declaring that he wants to marry Mark after all.

But Mark also knows that he’s not being completely fair to Donghyuck. He doesn’t fully understand the world where the younger has lived his whole life in and he knows that Donghyuck’s been hurting probably just as much as he has. It’s just easy to forget that when wallowing in your own hurt and self-pity.

And people make mistakes. Some bigger ones than the others. Not every mistake can be forgiven, but it’s actually interesting how much shit we tolerate from those who we love in the end.

Mark turns the car off. He lets go of the steering wheel, but just sits there motionless for another very long time. But then eventually he reaches to open the passenger-side door of the car. It takes a few seconds and then Donghyuck slides back to the seat next to Mark.

They stare at each other, mirroring each other’s scared expressions on their faces. Donghyuck is waiting for Mark to say something, Mark is waiting for anything to come out of his own mouth. It takes a while, but then Mark finally says,

“I don’t want any kind of fancy wedding. I want to get married at a courthouse while wearing old sweatpants and a hoodie”

Donghyuck stares at him, eyes wide with shock.

“But I do want a beautiful, expensive ring. Something like, made of white gold and having sapphires in it”, the older continues.

“Okay”, Donghyuck says when he gets out of his daze a bit. He looks like he wants to smile but doesn’t know if he’s allowed to.

“Okay?” Mark asks to confirm.

“Okay”, Donghyuck confirms and then a beautiful smile breaks onto his face. The same time tears start falling from his eyes. This time they’re just happy tears.

Mark reaches to swipe the tears from Donghyuck's cheeks. Then he leans to very carefully press a light kiss on the younger's lips.

They both know that things aren’t perfect between the two of them. In fact, they’re not even good at the moment.

But they also know that they will now have a lifetime to sort everything out.

And finally a chance to live a happy life together.

**Author's Note:**

> They get married at a courthouse, wearing sweatpants and hoodies. Afterwards they go eat sushi and drink milkshakes. Mark gets the hella expensive ring of white gold with sapphire embedding, and they travel the world as their honeymoon.
> 
> \---
> 
> Thank you very much for reading! <3


End file.
